Self-lighting cigar or cigarette



March 10. 1925. 1,529,181

. H. S. HOLMES 1 SELF LIGHTING CIGAR .OR CIGARETTE Filed July 1, 1922 mmvron. Harry 15' -Hobzw6 ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 10, 1925 UNITED STATES HARBY S. HOLMES, OI STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA.

SELF-LIGHTING CIGAR 0R CIGARETTE.

Application filed July 1,

To (LIL whom it ma concern:

Be it known that HARRY S. HOLMES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Stockton, county of San Joaquin, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Lightmg Cigars or Cigarettesand I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accom anying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in cigars or cigarettes, the principal object being to provide thesearticles with means which enable them to be readily ignited without the use of a match or other source of external heat.

In brief, I have equipped the cigar etc. with a so-called impregnated or safety tip so that each cigar has its own individual lighting means, and is in efl'ect its own match.

The articles thus equipped not only insure that the smoker may ignite the same at will and regardless of the presence of a match or other source of external flame, but avoid the anno ance and waste of matches incident to tfie smoker attempting to light his cigar or cigarette with the latter wherever there is a wind, natural or arti-. ficial, as for instance when travelling in open street cars, and automobiles, or on windy days on the street.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purposes for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a side view of a cigar to which the self-igniting means has been applied.

Fig. 2 is a side View of a cigarette similarly equipped.

Figs. 3 and 4 are side and end views respectively of a cigarette before the application of the tip, showing certain steps first carried out.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged and partially see 1922. Serial No. 572,294.

tional View of the cigarette after the placof the tip.

ing 1 q .eferring now more particularly .t ofthe characters of reference on the drawings, the numeral l denotes a cigar, and Qacigarette, of the usual character, to the proper and of each of which I apply a t ip ';3, of common composition for each type of article.

This tip (see Fig. 5 especially) preferably consists of what ma be termed a core or layer of charcoal or similar material 4 which lies directly against the tobacco, and which is impre ated or coated with a chemical composition of very rapid combustion, and of easy ignition, such as that used on standard matches, this material in turn being ignited by means of the outer tip 5 which is itself ignited by the application of friction. I make of course no claim to the chemical composition of these materials, the properties of which have long been known.

It is also to be understood that I- may use either that composition which is ignited with frictional engagement with any surface, or that type such as used in safety matches, which can only be ignited when frictionally engaged with a specially coated surface. I

The charcoal layer however is an important feature, as it serves two purposes. First, it readily receives and retains the heat pro duced with the ignition of the chemical tip, which is of such rapid combustion that its heat is soon dissipated if not conserved. The charcoal however almost instantaneously becomes red hot, and retains this heat long enough to readily ignite the slower catching I and burnin tobacco, wh the smoker creates a suctional draft through the article.

Further the charcoal acts as a purifier for the noxious fumes of the chemical elements of the tip, so that the smoker does not taste nor experience the effect of, any such fumes as may be drawn through the tobacco.

In preparing a cigarette for the application of the tip, I preferably withdraw the tobacco from the one end thereof, for a short distance, and perforate the paper wrapper 6 as at 7 at the inner end of the cavity thus formed. I then bend or fold the wrapper inwardly as at 8, thus providing a better surface for adherence to the tip than the tobacco will give, and that at the same time expose a readily ignitible surface to the tip when the latter is ignited. Since the paper is substantially air tight in itself, the holes 7 provide air intakes so that a suctional draft,.

necessary for the proper ignition of the tobacco, may be obtained at the instant the tip is ignited.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen thatI have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviationsfrom such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention,. as defined by the appended claims.

, Having thus described my intention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

An ignition tip for rolled tobacco, and a noxious gases generatedby the ignition tip.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

- HARRY S. HOLMES. 

